Whether we are conscious of it or not, audio components are images of our personality, it makes a statement to our peers and the people around us. I remember seeing some Gibson Les Paul guitars, Marshall stacks, and Fender Jazz-Chorus amps when I was in my teens visiting a friend's house. His older brother had a cover band, and we spent hours in awe watching them play, like we were looking at rock legends; it was something about the gear, the attitude, and the beer (that they did not share) that enticed our young minds.

I envied their guitars, valve amps, guitar effects, and the ease with which they played solos from Pearl Jam’s “Alive” or Jane’s Addiction’s “Stop” and the rare jazz chord progression improvisations jams. I have another version of that envy today, and it’s turntables. You might have the most beautiful speakers, amps, preamps, and streamers, but that’s not going to get my envy going. But if you have a nice-looking, high-end turntable, my mind will go back to my teenage years.

This is a review of the Audio-Technica AT-LP2022 60th Anniversary Turntable ($1200 incl. arm and two cartridges).

Hideo Matsushita founded Audio-Technica in 1962, and for their 60th anniversary they built “The finest turntable AT has ever created, to carry on his legacy and exemplify the commitment to analog listening that AT has pursued for 60 years” (Kurt Van Scoy, U.S. Executive Director of Product Development). From a start-up company designing cartridges (the AT-1 and AT-3) in a small apartment in Japan, today it’s a huge and successful company.

I remember seeing the pictures of this AT turntable and they were amazing. Being a limited edition turntable and with only three thousand made (unique serial number on each one), I knew they weren’t going to last. So, with my birthday being a couple of months away, I decided to pre-order it for myself and the teenager from my past thanked me for it.

Specs

Wow & Flutter: <0.15% WRMS (33rpm) at 3kHz

Signal-to-Noise Ratio: >60dB

Power supply: 100 to 240V, 50/60Hz, 0.5 A max

Power consumption: 1.8 W

AC adapter: 12V, 1.0 A

Effective tonearm length: 223.6 mm

Replacement Stylus: AT-VMN95E BK and AT-VMN95SH CL.

Tonearm type: Static balanced straight carbon tonearm

Overhang: 18.6 mm

Tracking error angle: Less than 2.0°

Stylus pressure adjustment range: 0-3.0 g

Applicable cartridge weight: 11.5 to 16.5 g (including headshell)

Dimensions (W/D/H): 420 mm (17”) x 340 mm (13”) x 135 mm (5.3”)

Weight: 8.0 kg (18 lbs)

What comes in the box?

Audio-Technica went all out with this one; the outer box has a beautiful texture and colourful aqua design in the lower half of the box, and the logo in the middle of a white tall box is a nice presentation. In the box, you have nice separated packaging with the expected white gloves to handle the acrylic turntable and keep it safe from fingerprints. A dust cover with removable hinges is included. Also, two cartridges, a pre-mounted elliptical AT-VM95E (one of the most standard carts today for entry-level turntables) on an AT-HS4-SV headshell; and a fitting clear body AT-VMN95SH CL (colour clear) Shibata stylus ($199) that just blends beautifully with the acrylic finish.

The fully manual AT-LP2022 belt-drive turntable shines with a 30 mm thick clear-acrylic chassis and platter that stops you in your tracks. Every acrylic surface is covered with a protective plastic film that makes you work for that desired clear turntable body. The DC servo with an “Active Speed Stabilization” motor, maintains an accurate platter (16mm-thick acrylic) rotation speed. A button on the lower-left side of the turntable plays 331/3 and 45 rpm speeds, and stop features. There’s an on/off button on the back of the turntable as well. The carbon-fibre tonearm and adjustable vertical tracking angle are mounted on a metal base, with anti-skating and tracking force as well, so you can load many carts with different heights and weights.

According to Audio-Technica, the turntable also provides newly designed height-adjustable feet for sound isolation and stability. RCA cables, and what looks like a good quality power supply, a 45 rpm adapter, all are a sweet combo inside the box. The carbon-fibre tonearm (lift and base), with counterweight, is the same as the AT-LPW50BT-RW, I believe; nice looking and easy to handle. The LP2022 does not come with a platter mat, but really, who needs to cover this turntable?

Audio-Technica thought of their customer, it has almost everything you need to begin the vinyl journey, except for the phono stage which is not included with the AT-LP2022. I wonder if this tells us something, a sort of the beginning of a more audiophile state of mind, that you have to look for your sound, not just with different carts, but an external phono has to be in your sights if you truly want to begin the journey.

The Sound

My everyday turntable setup consists of Mark Levinson’s No. 5105 turntable, Alyssa Speakers (Alta Audio), PS Audio’s integrated amp Stellar Strata and their Phono Stage from the same series. Connected with Premium Pangea XLRs and Allnic ZL Power Cables. I also used in the setup a new amp that I truly enjoy, the Vincent Audio SV-500 Hybrid Integrated, it adds a little spice to the mostly neutral-sounding setup. Also, the Hana Umami Blue (review forthcoming) and a Phasemation PP-300, a fantastic pair of carts. Conditioning power is my AudioQuest Niagara 1200 Low-Z Power | Noise-Dissipation System.

I then switch to the AT and continued to listen to those carts and compare them to the ones that come with Audio-Technica. Of course, this may not be a fair comparison, after all the Hana and Phasemation carts, are ten times the cost of the AT carts, but I still wanted to try them out and hear what were the main differences.

First let me tell you that the Shibata cart (VMN95SH CL) surprised me, the detail and cleanliness of retrieval were more than I expected from the $199 cart. The elliptical VM95E does the job, but it sounds like an entry-level cart. So right off the bat, you get a decent cart and a colourfully detailed one in the box.

With the Hana Umami Blue and the Phasemation PP-300, things opened up much more. The 300 cart blows and howls at you, it is not subtle, it is bright, but not fatiguing, and every type of music genre evolves with this cart, I just love it. Now, the AT-LP2022 did a nice job taming the Phasemation, the plinth made itself be noticed by containing the resonance in albums like Stone Temple Pilots Core where guitar distortion and chord progressions are constant and full and the stability of the turntable never stumbled.

Other albums that stood out were Paco de Lucía’s live Nueva Antología Vol 1 & 2. The Hana Umami Blue was adamant about making a statement and it said that “Paco is the greatest all-around guitarist ever”. The warmth and soundstage this cart puts in front of you are like nothing I’ve heard before—de Lucía’s sextet’s riffled sounds and rhythmic dynamic force were unequalled.

Comparing the AT-LP2022 to the Levinson 5105 is interesting. The tank as I call the latter has a 6-kilogram aluminum platter and a carbon fibre arm that delivers richer and more solid sonics than the AT turntable, but there’s an important price comparison, the 5105 is $7000.

The placement of the turntable is also salient. I’ve noticed on my wood floor, stability can be an issue, but not for these two turntables. The AT-LP2022 never flinched when I got close to it —there was no distortion or skipping and tonearm and carts flowed. With more of a neutral sound than a warm one, the AT-LP2022 was my go-to turntable for almost half a year when my Levinson was in the shop.

Some of my favourite moments with the AT-LP2022 were when my family would come and visit my home, they all would stare at the turntable, focusing on the looks of the AT-LP. The prism that you can catch at almost every angle, the city-like image you see when looking at it directly from the side through the crystal-clear plinth and platter, with little screws and electronics that look like skyscrapers and buildings. Audio-Technica complemented a stable and ready-to-rock turntable with a formidable design. Turntables always set out to make a statement whether it’s a heavy platter/chassis or dynamics. I think the AT-LP2022 combines the looks, the feel and the sonics at an excellent price ($1200 incl. arm and two cartridges).

Conclusion

The turntable is quite something; it just sits there, waiting for you, almost daring you to choose the best album for it to play. Its aesthetics are original and its tonearm/cart implementation working in unison to align themselves for our listening pleasure is an achievement on its own.

Back in the day having a Les Paul guitar or a Marshall amp said something about your style, your taste in music, and how you’d like to be perceived. And back in the day, I, like many other teens who went to gigs and watch cover bands, wished we had the money to buy that gear—it meant something. It feels like now at almost 50 years old it was my time to play in the band. The AT-LP2022 60th Anniversary Turntable is a commemorative component of years of work and achievement. It’s good to know it’s in good hands and I highly recommend you get yourself one if they’re still out there.

Further information: Audio-Technica